All Road's
by The Accomplice
Summary: Where does she belong? Her classmates don't understand her, don't even try. The only place she feels truly accepted is with her family.


Just something spawned from a random conversation Hotpocket Hunter and I had. How would Road interact with her classmates? It was a toss-up between her constantly trying to kill them or her leading a group of girls to end the world! And then I ended up writing this. I don't know how...

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"She's so weird!"

"I know. She always sits in that corner and stares out the window."

"What does she see out there?"

"She's scary."

The whispers. They thought she couldn't hear them. Or maybe they wanted her to. She didn't know and didn't care. They were human, nothing more, nothing like her. Let them whisper. Her acceptance of their acts didn't relieve the pain she felt inside. _Why? Why does this hurt? I don't like them, so why would I want them to like me?_ The scene outside the glass blurred with unwanted tears. _This isn't where I belong._

"She hasn't been here for days."

"Yeah, sometimes she disappears for weeks at a time, no explanations, no excuses."

She had been carrying out a mission for Millenie yesterday, slaughtering useless humans, commanding Akuma, controlling destinies. That was where she belonged, above all of this, above all of them. The class was called to order and the lesson began. She spent it staring out the window, bringing the world back into focus.

The next class was physical education. Years of dodging attacks by humans and exorcists alike had made this her best class by far. Even without using her powers, she was strong and fast, able to jump higher than any of the others, breathing barely changing. This game was called dodge-ball, and it was one of her favorites. Dodging was something she was very good at. And throwing, that too was a skill of hers. For a moment, she pondered the possibility of pain. This was a game in which she could throw as hard as she wanted, cause as much pain as she saw fit, and no one could yell at her. It was all just a game, after all. But then the moment passed and the game continued, unhindered by pain.

Lunch was simple. She sat in the back of the classroom and ate alone, staring out the window. Again, the other children stared, and again, she ignored their whispering voices. At the front of the classroom, the teacher gazed at all of his students. One in particular troubled him. It could be the fact that she never interacted with any of her classmates, those long periods in which she was absent, or perhaps the shadow that would fall upon her face at times, filling her eyes with an unholy light. But he wasn't sure, and so tried not to bother himself about it.

After lunch was a free period, a time in which she had no class, no obligations. Behind the school was a forest, and it was here she would pass the hour, wandering beneath tall conifers or tracking animals through the undergrowth. She removed a small bag of sweets from her pocket and snacked lazily, enjoying the warm afternoon sun. It was dark in her true home, dark and sunless. But there she was accepted. There she was loved. Footsteps nearby alerted her to trespassers in her woods. She crouched, the launched herself straight up, snagging the lower branch of a green-leafed tree. She pulled herself up to perch on the branch and waited to see who would dare interrupt the serenity of her place. A group of boys in the year above came into view, so high and mighty, always flaunting their age and maturity. Her lip curled involuntarily. _Age? I am much older than them, both in body and in years._ They passed beneath her, all crashing feet and laughter. _Friends. How...friends. _They were distractions, shattering the calm of her forest, sending crows skyward and small creatures scurrying deeper into the underbrush. She silently urged the boys to move on from her place, to return to their world. But instead they pushed farther into the trees until she could no longer hear them. She breathed a sigh of relief then shook her head, scattering thoughts like butterflies. She didn't fear the boys, they were nothing to her. It was the woods displeasure with the intruders that she felt within her.

She left the woods, spell broken, and continued with the day. Another class in which her classmates ignored her and she them, all together one class, but in reality, the difference between a continent and an island.

The next, she gazed out the window at the darkening sky, clouds heavy and gray. Then class ended, and school with it. The other children complained their lot at the door, slipping out in groups of two and three, fleeing the raindrops pelting them from the heavens. She quietly gathered up her stuff, organizing it in her bag, then slung it over her shoulder. When the room was at last empty, she walked to the door and closed it. Then she opened it again, making it her door, and walked into its shining embrace.

It was dark. Dark and sunless. She walked the red carpeted hallway, passing obscure portraits hanging the length of the walls. She neared the simple door at the end of the hall, rested her hand briefly on the handle before turning it. The door swung open, exposing the occupants of the room to her searching gaze. A quick count confirmed it. They were all there. Twelve and her as the thirteenth. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Even so, this was what she needed, maybe all she needed. Her ridiculous, insane family, all of whom she loved dearly. She took her seat at the table.

Dinner was normal. The idiot twins threw food, antagonizing the others to return the favor with heavier utensils. Through it all, she was at peace. Being with her family felt like being back in the forest, free from humanity. Here they could be who they truly were, loved for it. She grinned, urging it on in her own way, enjoying the chaos. Soon enough though, they settled down and ate their food. She smiled in happiness. "This is where I belong."

The others looked at her, confused. But she didn't care. She just continued smiling at the person responsible for her happiness.

"Of course it is, Road dear." The Earl chuckled.

Road smiled at him. This was home.


End file.
